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Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



January 10, 1921 



, ILL. 



J. J. NARTZIK 



INCORPORATED 



MILLS GENERAL OFFICES 



GRAND RAPIDS, MINN. ^^^^ MAUD AVENUE ^ND WAREHOUSE 



DBS ARK, ARKANSAS CHICAGO CHICAGO 



Rotary Cut Veneers 



and 



Panels 



CARLOAD LOTS OR L. C. L. SHIPMENTS 



(Continued from ptn/c 31) 



seven plies are used in the manufacture of plywood. How- 

 ever, some plywood is composed of as many as thirty 

 plies. 



In general practice, no ply or veneer is thicker than 

 y^ of an inch. In three ply stock the thickness of the 

 core when from J/g to 1/12 of an inch should be between 

 50 per cent to 75 per cent of the total thickness of the 

 finished plywood. For core thickness less than 1/12 of 

 an inch, the core should be between 40 per cent to 75 

 per cent of the total thickness of the finished wood, except 

 for panels 1/16 of an inch in thickness. 



Plywood, aside from being used chiefly as covering for 

 fuselage bulkheads and engine nacelles, is coming into 

 prominent use in the development of internally braced 

 wing sections. Plywood not only adds strength and pro- 

 tects the vital members of an airplane, but produces bet- 

 ter wearing surfaces than fabric. The construction of the 

 monocoque fuselage depends entirely upon plywood. 



There has been considerable discussion among engi- 

 neers in reference to the future material to be used in air- 

 craft, and, as is quite natural, the use of metal is receiving 

 a lot of attention, but will come into general use rather 

 slowly. The use of metal for war airplanes has many 

 advantages, in the airplanes constructed entirely of metal 

 can be stored in large quantities and in case of an emer- 

 gency could be put in the air in a very short time. The 

 greatest detriment to such a plan is obsolescence. 



It is generally agreed that the principal material, in 

 bulk, to be used in aircraft for a number of years, will be 

 wood, and that the vital parts of the airplane structure, 

 where exceptional strength is required, will be alloys of 

 Steel. 



Woods in Violin Manufacture 



The two woods almost universally used in the manu- 

 facture of violins are maple and spruce. Maple is used 

 for the back and sides and is preferably wavy grained, 

 producing the so-called fiddle-back mottle. The reasons 

 for using maple are its hardness, rigidity, beauty of grain 

 and ability to glue-up well, a feature usually wanting in 



heavy woods. Curly California laurel has been used with 

 success but cannot be considered a rival for hard maple. 



Practically every coniferous wood has been tried out 

 for the belly or sounding board but nothing equals a good 

 grade of spruce. The best is supposed to come from the 

 Alps but selected stock of our own eastern and northern 

 species serves the purpose well. Sitka spruce is fair but is 

 too soft for bright tone. Engelmann spruce is also too 

 light and soft and the material available for tests has 

 shown too much variation in the width of the growth rings. 



Douglas fir has proved too slow in response, the effect 

 being described as "rubbery." The Yellow cedars or 

 cypresses. Port Orford and Nootka, work beautifully but 

 are too heavy and their strong spicy-resinous scent is too 

 persistent. The firs which have been tried split too easily. 

 White pine lacks "reed," the name given to the dense 

 bands of summer wood. 



In selecting spruce, wedge-shaped pieces a little over 5 

 inches wide and 1 inch thick on the narrow edge are split 

 from bolts or blocks I 5 inches long and the sides must be 

 parallel to the rays. The grain must be straight and free 

 from knots and all other defects. The tree must be a suffi- 

 cient size to give reeds of uniform spacing over a 5 inch 

 width, the preferred number per inch being 18 to 22. 

 These rough wedge-shaped pieces are sawn down the 

 middle leaving just enough wood at one end to hold the 

 halves together. In this form they are air-seasoned under 

 cover for at least five years, the longer the better. There 

 are many schemes for hastening this "aging" process such 

 as treatment with live steam under pressure, steeping in 

 borax solution, fuming with nitric acid, and application of 

 electric current. A violin-maker says all of these treat- 

 ments are alike in one particular — each spoils the wood. 

 "Baked" wood fiddles lose their tone very soon and such 

 stuff is used only for faking purposes. A characteristic of 

 the wood of the belly of very old violins is the prominence 

 and dark color of the hard reed. This effect can be pro- 

 duced in new wood by the application of nitric acid which 

 at the same time, if properly handled, gives a characteristic 

 color. The action is destructive, however, and hard to 

 control and sooner or later the fiber is broken down and 

 the tone destroyed. 



The Inman Veneer & Panel Company, is not turning a 

 wheel as yet in the addition recently completed to its 

 plant, and which will be used principally as a core depart- 

 ment. Just now the main plant is sufficient to take care 

 of all business, and then run on a limited capacity basis at 

 four days a week. It is located at Louisville, Ky. 



Wm. J. K. Stockdale, of New Albany, Ind., 64 years 

 of age, and for more than 25 years superintendent of the 

 Louisville plant of the Turner, Day & Woolworth Handle 

 Company, died at his home in New Albany, on Dec. 1 5, 

 following a short illness. He is survived by his widow, a 

 son, a daughter and several brothers. 



